A panel of internationally acclaimed artists, artistic directors and curators explore how art shapes – and is shaped by – the cities we inhabit. Sites of Meaning considers how culture, memory and migration influence our experience of place in a world defined by a multiplicity of voices and perspectives.
Facilitated by cultural strategist and former managing director of the Black Cultural Archives, Lisa Anderson, the discussion will draw on threads weaved within this year’s Festival opening show BOGOTÁ. The guests will include the show’s choreographer Andrea Peña, whose background in fashion and design has brought international renown.
Joining them is architect, activist and educator Jayden Ali who works at the intersection of urban strategy, art and performance, and Mariam Zulfiqar who is the Director of Artangel and former leader of the National Art Programme and Forestry England.
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Lisa Anderson
Cultural Strategist and Curator
Lisa Anderson (she/her)
Cultural Strategist and Curator
London (UK)
Lisa Anderson is a cultural strategist, curator and advocate for curatorial repair, whose work bridges the visual and performing arts to amplify underrepresented histories and forms of expression.
A former dancer and long-time supporter of the dance community, she sits on the advisory board of Uchenna Dance and is passionate about movement as a form of cultural memory and resistance. Lisa is currently Associate Director at Messums.org, where she leads curatorial programming that centres materiality, memory, and social justice. She was formerly Managing Director of Black Cultural Archives, the UK’s leading institution for Black British history. Her recent curatorial work includes Soulscapes: African Diaspora Artists and the Natural World at Dulwich Picture Gallery, a critically acclaimed exhibition exploring race, belonging, and our relationship to the natural world. With a background in Human Rights and International Relations, Lisa founded @blackbritishart to champion artists of the African Diaspora and the transformative power of art in all its forms.
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Andrea Peña
Director & Choreographer
Credit Bobby León
Andrea Peña (she/her)
Director & Choreographer
Bogotá (Colombia) / Montreal (Canada)
Originating from Bogotá, Colombia, and having honed her practice in the territory of Tiohti:áke, Montreal, Andrea Peña is a prolific Latinx artist who has built international renown as a designer, choreographer and director of the multidisciplinary company Andréa Peña & Artists.
With a background in design and fashion, Andrea is a definitively multifaceted visionary who works seamlessly across mediums. Rooted in extensive research and choreographic knowledge, she creates unique living universes that unify bodies and materials in performative, digital and sculptural environments.
Andrea’s artistic rigor has been recognized by numerous awards including the Ballet BC Choreographer Award 2024, whilst in 2023 she was the winner of the 1st international La Biennale di Venezia dance co-production. Complex, vulnerable and raw, her work has been commissioned by TanzKassel, National Arts Center, Phi Center, SAT and Ballet Edmonton. She has presented work at prestigious institutions and festivals across the world, including Musée d’Art Contemporain Montreal, Mattress Factory Museum Pittsburgh, Tanz Bremen, Tanzmesse, Theatre Freiburg, Tokyo Performing Arts Meeting, Attakkalari India Biennial, Milano Festival, Hong Kong International Choreography Festival, Festival Internacional de Danza de la Ciudad de México, Prisma Festival Panama, AADK Spain, and IONION Arts Center Greece to name but a few.
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Jayden Ali
Architect, Artist & Educator
Jayden Ali (he/him)
Architect, Artist & Educator
London (UK) / New York (USA)
Jayden Ali is the Founding Director of JA Projects Ltd, a London and New York based studio working at the intersection of architecture, urban strategy, art and performance.
An Architect, artist and educator, he has been recognised as a key voice in shaping the future of our cities by the Design Museum, Vogue and Wallpaper Magazine, whilst also being included on the Architects’ Journal’s prestigious ’40 Under 40’ list. He is a Mayor’s Design Advocate, sits on various quality review panels and is a Dean’s Visit Professor at Columbia University, NYC and Politecnico di Milano, Milan. In 2023, Jayden co-curated the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, with the exhibition ‘Dancing Before the Moon’ being awarded a prestigious special mention.
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Mariam Zulfiqar
Director of Artangel
Mariam Zulfiqar (she/her)
Director of Artangel
London (UK)
Mariam Zulfiqar is the Director of Artangel.
Prior to joining the team in January 2022, Mariam led the National Art Programme at Forestry England where she implemented a new strategic direction, developing partnership projects at the intersection of art, design, architecture, environment, and ecology.
Mariam’s area of focus is commissioning art for presentation beyond the gallery walls. She has commissioned projects for Film and Video Umbrella, Art on the Underground, UP Projects, and Chiswick House.
Venue & Access +
Venue
Address
Studio Wayne McGregor
Broadcast Centre, Here East
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
10 East Bay Lane
London
E15 2GW
Studio Wayne McGregor is based in the Broadcast Centre at Here East on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Enter the Broadcast Centre via the Steel Mill Reception.
Access information
Access to Studio Wayne McGregor is step free.
If you have any access questions or requirements you wish to discuss prior to your visit, please contact the Studio Team at [email protected] or on 020 7278 6015.
A recording of this event will be available to watch with the Digital Pass
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